"Hey, why are you still lying around? The priest called us for dinner. If we don't go now, we'll get scolded."
"I know, I know."
The young man stretched lazily on the grass before finally pushing himself upright, his peaceful rest interrupted. He followed the other boy as they jogged together toward a separate church building.
Before long, priests, nuns, and the so-called "brothers and sisters" were seated around a wooden table. A faint smell of rot lingered in the air.
Like a starting signal before a race, everyone clasped their hands and closed their eyes at the same time.
"I'm starting."
As the words fell in unison, the adopted orphans, along with the priests and nuns, began eating the "food" placed before them.
The wooden table had clearly reached the end of its service life. The constant creaking sounds made that obvious enough.
As for the so-called delicacies—
Naturally, it was potatoes.
They were cheap, filling, and high-yield. Otherwise, how could a church with almost no income afford to support so many children?
To be fair, potatoes tasted decent whether steamed, boiled, or fried. They were nutritious, could serve as a staple food, and caused no health issues even when eaten long-term. They were, undeniably, a high-quality crop.
"Hey, why are you eating so slowly?"
That familiar, annoying voice rang out again.
"Ah…" he replied helplessly. "Chewing slowly helps digestion. If everyone ate like you, people would choke to death."
"Hey! That's impossible!"
"That's completely normal."
He felt exhausted. Comparing eating habits with that muscle-brained idiot was pointless. He forced himself to stay calm.
Fortunately, before his temper snapped, the most authoritative figure in the church spoke—the priest who had taken in the orphans.
"Sylvar is right. You must chew your food thoroughly when you eat. Otherwise, you could choke. All of you need to be careful. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
The brothers and sisters replied in unison.
"Oh… my head hurts."
Sylvar sighed quietly.
Potatoes were a good staple food—but eating them every single day of the year was unbearable.
At this point, just seeing them made him feel sick.
This world had magic.
And despite having no parents, the orphans here had never gone hungry. Their daily lives were relatively warm.
But—
He wanted to change his fate.
The opportunity had not yet arrived.
Yes. This world.
Sylvar Crowe did not belong here.
At least, not on a soul level.
The reason all of this happened—
The story begins in another world, long, long ago.
The sky was covered in smog born from unchecked technological development, gloomy and oppressive, as though a thunderstorm could break out at any moment.
But my heart was beating far too fast for me to care about the weather. I didn't even think about rushing home to collect my laundry, even though rain was clearly coming.
Because I was standing on the rooftop of a thirty-story building.
As for how I ended up there—
That story began three days ago.
Three days ago, while delivering food, I saved a young boy who had run recklessly into traffic. I dragged him back just in time, narrowly preventing a fatal accident and escorting him safely to the sidewalk.
By coincidence, a reporter had been nearby, conducting an interview about traffic safety. She captured the entire scene on camera.
The moment she saw what happened, the beautiful female reporter rushed toward me, microphone in hand, as if she had found prey.
She bombarded me with questions.
How did it feel to save someone?
How did it feel afterward?
Were you afraid?
Worried about my delivery time, I answered loudly—almost shouting—before hurrying away.
And just like that, after spreading online, I inexplicably became the center of attention.
Not long after, someone came knocking on my door.
He claimed to be an agent. He introduced himself as Li Cong, saying he worked for a major company and specialized in discovering internet celebrities.
He wanted to turn me into one—through livestreaming, selling products, advertising—making money from the massive online audience.
It was an opportunity most people would never get.
To be precise—
It was wealth that couldn't be accumulated in several lifetimes.
And now, it was right in front of me.
Maybe because I was an orphan, I was especially wary of things that seemed too good to be true. I didn't believe a word of it.
Scams were everywhere these days. Even intelligent, rational people still fell for them. That alone proved how sophisticated fraud had become.
Once a method was exposed, it was replaced by another.
So I refused to believe the sweet talk of a stranger.
Just as I was about to chase him away, a senior coworker—the one who had helped me get my delivery job—happened to pass by.
He stopped mid-delivery when he saw me.
At the time, I didn't think much of it. I trusted him and didn't consider his behavior strange.
Looking back, I should have.
This senior's name was Chen Chong. I usually called him Brother Chong.
He was in his forties or fifties and often looked out for newcomers. He taught us tricks—how to avoid scams, how to handle stolen orders, how to survive the job.
Everyone trusted him.
So when I saw him, I greeted him with a smile.
"Hey, Brother Chong."
He smiled back, then seemed to notice the agent.
"Agent Li? What brings you here? Looking for talent among delivery guys?"
Agent Li laughed.
"Isn't this a rising internet star? If I help him get famous, my own position will rise too."
Brother Chong grew excited.
"This is great. Xiao Li, you should agree. I didn't understand the internet either until Agent Li helped me. Now I have tens of thousands of followers."
"Opportunities like this don't come twice."
My heart began to race.
Could something like this really happen?
Impossible.
I hesitated.
Agent Li smiled calmly.
"Your surname is Li. Mine is Li. Same family. Why would I lie to you?"
"The reason I found you is because of the online attention. Do you think it's because you're handsome?"
I stayed silent.
He continued,
"I've known your senior for years. If you don't trust me, you trust Brother Chong, right?"
"…Of course I trust Brother Chong."
That was enough.
I signed the contract.
Then he asked for a deposit.
That was when everything collapsed.
The next day, both phones were disconnected.
I had been scammed.
I stood on the rooftop.
The crowd below looked like ants.
People shouted.
Someone livestreamed.
No one cared.
"If God really exists," I whispered,
"don't let me come back to this filthy world."
Then I jumped.
The fall was quick.
Clean.
A fresh stain on the earth.
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Author's Notes:
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